Chapter 37: Faker

As Daisy sat on her knees, a voice would speak to her from all angles at a soft tone. "...People are like geodes, girl…"

She sighed, "Now I'm going insane…"

"Yes, you are." A light chuckle resonated in the wind, "Isn't it delicious how amazing it is to see someone groveling on their knees? To reduce even the toughest of people down to tears?"

"That's what you think…" Daisy muttered.

"Oh?"

"I'm not the toughest person I know. And surely not the toughest of everyone around." She shrugged, "But it's a part of who I am to act this way. It's how my dad raised me."

The voice scoffed, "Oh, please...he wasn't that great."

"How dare you say anything about my pops? He's the greatest man on the planet. Taught me everything I know including how to stand up to mean idiots who think I'm just a pretty face and nothing else."

"But are you sure he really left as he said he did…." A tall figure wearing a purple robe laced with white fur trim, started walking towards her from behind.

"Well, yeah…" Daisy sighed, not too comfortable with talking about this particular subject. "He's retired."

A hand was placed upon her shoulder. The hand of an older gentleman who had the appearance of royalty. This was Daisy's father. "Well, yes. I am. But that doesn't mean I'm gone."

"..Daddy?" She looked up and nearly broke into more tears, "Oh thank goodness!" She rose to her feet and hugged him tightly. The gems on her crown flashed solid white, "I'm so happy to see you!"

"So am I, my little flower."

"Wait, how did you get here?"

The man chuckled once more, "I am always with you, my little flower. Even if I'm not always there, I'm always in here." He placed his hand on her head.

"Thanks...I really appreciate that." Daisy sniffled, trying to hold back her now joyful tears. "Any chance of me getting out of here?"

"Well, I am somewhat unsure of that…."

"Why not?"

The man suddenly pushed his her away, and held a scepter as his eyes glowed red. His voice had also changed, sounding corrupted. "Because you will not escape."

"Dad….what?" Daisy looked absolutely petrified.

"Gullible, human. I am not your father." The man cackled, "I am your worst nightmare!"

"..." Daisy facepalmed. This was clearly King Boo trying to play her. This entire time, it was King Boo. "Ya know you're dirtier than Bowser, right? Trying to mess with my heart by being my dad? That's real frickin' low."

King Boo still cackled within the form of Daisy's father, "The only way out is to fight me!"

"No."

"Ahaha! Then you will per-wait what?"

Daisy had pulled out a file, and casually started filing her nails, "I said no, dangit. You ain't worth a lick of my time to be fightin' when I could easily break outta here myself now that I know it's you behind all this. And I bet you were the one who stole my clothes. Wanted to get my personal things, huh, perv?"

"You dare deny King Boo a fight?!" He growled, "I own you right now! You have zero room to try and speak here."

"Pff, Luigi beat your wimp behind easily. You're stronger than Bowser for crying out loud and you get beaten by one Mario Brother. Twice!" She laughed, "Hah! I'd sooner wrestle with Toadette than you."

The mention of Luigi was one thing, but being compared to Bowser, and being told he wasn't worthy of a fight was beyond triggering for him. "...YOU IMBECILE! ARE YOU EVEN AWARE OF WHICH THE CALIBER OF WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO?! I KNEW BOW WAS COMING TO VISIT YOU AND RANSACKED YOUR STUFF TO STRESS YOU OUT. THEN WHEN SHE ARRIVED, I KNEW SHE WOULD DRIVE YOUR SERVANT WOULD BE STUCK HELPING HER AND YOU WOULD TOO."

Daisy didn't even bat an eye at the ghost as she held out her hand to get a good look at her nails. "Yeah, keep talkin'."

"I COULD LITERALLY SNAP YOU IN TWO RIGHT NOW, AND YOU DARE DENY ME IN COMBAT?!"

Daisy finally looked up at King Boo with a smirk, "Maybe I should call Luigi to snap your face into a lesser shade of ugly ya droopy-eyed, poor excuse for a haunted house attraction, blob of fat milk lookin' freak."

"..." In that moment, King Boo snapped, breaking into a fit of hysterical laughter. "...AHAHAHAH! WE'LL SEE WHO'S THE FREAK WHEN I'M DONE!" From his crown, shot what seemed like at least thirty bolts of dark magic towards Daisy.

Daisy simply flipped her hair back and smirked as the magic bolts came for her. All the sudden, a wall of thick hedges appeared in front of her, absorbing the attack. Behind said wall, Daisy crouched down as if she was getting ready to run…

Meanwhile, Larry was busy trying to find his way through the darkness when he heard the sound of magic being used in the distance. "...That has to be where they are. He's focusing his magic more on her than anything else. That means…" The water underneath him was gone, allowing him to move freely towards the sound. "Yes! Hang on, Daisy!" He started making his way down.

King Boo, as Larry knew, was focusing his magic more on Daisy at the moment with Daisy than anything else. When he saw she put up thick hedges as a defense, he blinked, "What?!" He looked over them, and saw that Daisy was no long behind them either, "...Show yourself, you readheaded worm! What do you think you're doing?!"

Daisy's voice called out to him from seemingly all angles just as he did to her before. "You're not the only one who knows how to mess with people's heads..."